president barack obama. for the first time since he took office, the unemployment rate fell below 8%. but his challenger, mitt romney, had a different take on the figures. he says they are actually a sign that things are getting worse. >> the unemployment rate, as you noted this year, has come down very slowly, but it has come down on the less. reason it has come down this year is primarily due to the fact that more and more people have just stopped looking for work. >> today's news certainly is not an excuse to try to talk down the economy to score a few political points. it is a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now. we have made too much progress to return to the policies that led to the crisis in the first place. >> the two candidates have made radically different proposals on the way the u.s. economy should develop. it is not yet clear what effect the new employment numbers will have on the race for the white house. >> let's turn to the markets now and take a closer look at some m